Happiness

“One of the things I am really sure about is nothing will make you happy. Very few things I am really sure about. That is one of things I am really sure about. Nothing will make you happy. It may give you you a jolt. It may make you gleeful but it isn’t going to make you happy. What does that mean nothing will make you happy?

It means what it says: there is no thing that’s going to make a person happy. Most people think “gee, when I graduate then life will be great.” No. You graduate and that’s wonderful but life still ain’t great. “When I get married then life will be great.” Not true. “Well when I get divorced then it will be ok.” Or when I get promoted, whatever it is, when I get a new car. When I get a chance to go on this new vacation… All you have to do is to watch people on vacation and you can see very clearly vacations do not make people happy. No, no, no.

Most people live their lives working towards something, working for something, that they think is going to make them happy. And it’s really the Peggy Lee song “Is that all there is?”. No matter what it is you get that you think is going to make you happy I can promise you that in a very short time after you get it you’re gonna be well “Is that all there is? Is that all there is to that? You mean it’s not filling my life with joy?” Yes, that’s right it, it isn’t.

You have to bring happiness to life. You don’t get happiness out of life. What is there to be happy about? Nothing. When you can be happy about nothing. Just be happy. You know “I am happy” – those words are sacred. It’s like a declaration, it’s like a place from which I come, it’s like a stand I take upon myself. Its not I am pretending to be happy, it’s not I am acting happy. No. I am happy!” – Werner Erhard